June 07, 2013

“Boucherouite rugs ( Boucherouite meaning “rag” in Moroccan Arabic) are a recent pan-Moroccan phenomenon brought on by the loss of the nomadic lifestyle of the Amazigh people, though they are often referred to as “Berber”. No longer a nomadic people dependent on sheep herding, these artisans have adapted to the changes by mixing wool with cotton rags to keep the tradition alive. With dramatic colors and patterns, these one of a kind pieces combine the casual ease of cotton with an artful, collage-like aesthetic”

January 23, 2013

“I’m a builder, a fixer, and a do-it-myselfer. My favorite things in life are big tools, old wood, good pasta, and finding great materials in a dumpster. I grew up in California, and blindly moved to New York seven years ago when I was accepted into art school for sculpture. I instantly fell in love with the grungy part of Brooklyn, and within a month, we had moved into Bedstuy. I have lived in the same apartment for five years now, which has given me plenty of time to slowly “fix” a few things around the house: de-carpet stairways, tile in kitchen… you name it!” - Ariele Alasko

November 23, 2012

Crate Chairs by Brooklyn based design studio Autumn Workshop started by Daniel Goers. These chairs are made entirely from re-purposed hologram storage crates. / “No extra wood was used in the fabrication of these chairs. The original crates were cut down, and the cut-offs were recycled back into the structure. The design uses the printed graphics to inform the user how to interact with the storage components of the furniture” /

May 12, 2012

Re-Love is a project by MAEZM.“Most clothes and chairs used in the past were collected by the artists and other relevant parties. It was designed based on a new method using objects in which memories remain and original function gone. The discarded chair once again becomes a comfortable sofa with clothes on top. Clothes are what enable the chair to play its part. This is also understood as one’s own past. As clothes are tangled, memories can be tied up to create a new love. To love the things again means to add another function to them. To love the things again means to add another function to them”

“To love the things again here needs be distinguished from recycling. Though the old and ragged chair in my room will gradually lose a great deal of its original function, it will hold prevalent value over other new ones through the time and space shared with me. This chair may carry an image of myself on it, stretching leg to the floor, or elaborately cherish a reminiscence of a time when I conversed with someone.
Sharing of such time and memory is also a matter of intimacy between me and the thing. However, regrettably enough, we repeatedly replace the thing for a new ‘goods’ unconsciously in pursuit of the ‘function’ it provides. The relationship between a thing and people should be understood as an expression of
‘self love’ on oneself as a result rather than personifying a thing. The intention is that the act of loving a thing again is engraved as love of one self about the time and space, and such love be proposed as methodology through ‘RE_LOVE’ “

January 27, 2012

“Long before the green-minded hip began toting these fishnet shopping sacks whilst touring organic foodmarts, the USSR had developed the archetype — the amazing avoska. Extremely long lines were commonplace and a score of good groceries was rare, so avoskas were essential, with their magical capability to collapse, unfold, and hold stockpile-bound bounties. Image Courtesy Michael Idov.” from Made in Russia: Unsung Icons of Soviet Design